Property

Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies

Ann Stanyer reports on a recent decision clarifying how trust corporations may be appointed as deputies, & the safeguards the court expects before approving them

Andrew Francis tells some cautionary tales of restrictive covenants used for holiday & other short-term lettings

Holiday lets may promise easy returns, but restrictive covenants can swiftly scupper plans. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Francis of Serle Court recounts how covenants limiting use to a ‘private dwelling house’ or ‘private residence’ have repeatedly defeated short-term letting schemes

A new specialist business network has been launched to bring together professionals working across leasehold, commonhold and the wider residential property sector

Increased delays and backlogs in the courts ‘will be unavoidable’ when the Renters’ Rights Act comes into force in May unless extra funding is provided, the Law Society has warned

Legal IT supplier InfoTrack has launched a conveyancing tool that speeds up the pre-contract enquiries stage by allowing both sides to collaborate in one shared workspace

Property lawyers have given a cautious welcome to the government’s landmark Bill capping ground rents at £250, banning new leasehold properties and making it easier for leaseholders to switch to commonhold

The land registration gap leads to delays & claims, writes Phil Murrin. How can practitioners minimise the risks?

Delays at HM Land Registry are no longer a background irritation but a growing source of professional risk. Writing in NLJ this week, Phil Murrin of DAC Beachcroft explores how the ‘registration gap’—now stretching up to two years in complex cases—is fuelling client frustration, priority disputes, and negligence claims